KILLER OF JOY, TELLER OF STORIES, GIVER OF NO FUCKS

WisCon Panel Schedule

So in less than two weeks I will be in Madison, Wisconsin for WisCon40. Here are the panels and other events you can see me at if you’re there too!

Steven Universe – The Panel (Sat, 2:30–3:45 pm)
Steven Universe is a new show on Cartoon Network featuring multiple powerful women of color, two of which are in the main four characters, and many of whom are queer. It’s a great show with a lot of momentum. That said: it’s created by largely white people and despite all the Black women appearing, there are none to be seen on the staff. What does this mean to its many fans? What does the show do right? What needs drastic improvement? The panel will also discuss headcanons, plot points, and hopes for the future.

I am SO EXCITED for this panel. I am a huge Steven Universe fan and I’ve been brushing up on fan theories in preparation. I also might try to rewatch the whole series before then if I have time.

Diverse Creators, Not Just Diverse Product (Sat, 4:00–5:15 pm)
A lot of cis, white, hetero men are realizing that diversity is a great marketing technique, so we’re seeing more diversity in representation. Yet people of color, trans people, BLG people and others continue to be expected to educate privileged audiences for free, or to be silenced, or to be gatekept out of the limelight. It’s still the cis, white, hetero men who get paid. Who’s responsible — consumers, gatekeepers, The Market, or someone else? How can we change this system and help diverse authors, game designers, artists, editors and other creators actually make what we’re worth?

This is something I love to talk about, what does it mean to be a diverse creator creating a world versus a white man creating a diverse world (we get accused of being SJWs much quicker and more virulently for one and less press for two). Should be a really interesting discussion.

You Got Race On My Class! You Got Class On My Race! (Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm)
Race and class are two identities that exist in tandem, one never really trumping the other. What are the ways they intersect, diverge, conflict? What happens when our internal race/class state differs from an external race/class assignment — and what factors go into forming internal/external states in the first place? This panel will look at the realities of how we exist within and negotiate race and class without privileging either concept.

Really happy to be doing this panel because for some reason a lot of people don’t talk about the ways in which race and class effect each other really drastically. Also the panel with with two of my favorite people so what more could I want!

Mecha Miscreants & Metro Magic II: The Municipalization (Sun, 2:30–3:45 pm)
Based on a true story: In a world where everyone lives in cities, four writers must brave the cliches of science fiction and fantasy, on a mission they aren’t expected to survive. Risking humiliation and obscurity, these fearful wordsmiths must make the urban setting meaningful again, or face the wrath of an angry fandom! From the people that brought you ‘Mecha Miscreants and Metro Magic,’ comes a story of slight literary deviance and incredible courage. Coming soon to a Wiscon programming track near you.

Part II of our (Charlie Jane Anders, Annalee Newitz, Claire Light & myself) reading. Part I was last year when all I had was the real rough MS but now my book is going to be there for sale! It’s going to be such a blast!

Queer Eye for Sci Fi (4:00–5:15 pm)
There is a long and complex history of queerness in science fiction, from queer-coded villains in pulp novels to the more diverse spectrum of characterization in the last decade. Join panelists as they discuss the history of queerness within the genre, their experiences within the community, and the future of queer science fiction.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to talk about how my queerness changed how I read certain SF/F texts. There are a lot of implied GLBTQ villains in old school speculative fiction and I was always rooting for them.

Responsible Content Warnings (Sun, 10:00–11:15 pm)
Can we do trigger/content warnings better? What are examples of good ones? What’s missing? Is there a threshold that has to be met before one is needed? How specific should they be?

This will be a really interesting discussion especially because I am really torn on this topic. I do like trigger warnings for certain topics but the vagueness or specificity of the warning can also cause problems. Sometimes it’s less topic to me than how the topic is handled. As you can there will be a lot to talk about.

The SignOut (Mon, 11:30 am–12:45 pm)
Come and sign your works, come and get things signed, come and hang out and wind down before you leave.

I’ll be signing shit! You should come. Someone is going to be the very first book of mine I sign, ever. That’s terrifying.